Learn About The Man Behind the Machines in the McLaren Biopic

The name McLaren has become synonymous with performance sports and luxury cars, and is known around the world for winning various motorsports championships. Less known, however, is Bruce McLaren, the New Zealand-born race car driver, designer, engineer and inventor who founded the self-named iconic company in 1963. A new documentary film directed by Roger Donaldson (Dante’s Peak, The Bank Job) hopes to change that.

Bruce McLaren lived a short life, dying at just 32 years old in a car crash while testing a new Can-Am vehicle at a racetrack in the U.K. But in that short amount of time, he helped revolutionize the world of motorsports. He grew up working in his parents’ service station, spending all of his free time hanging around the workshop developing a passion for cars while overcoming a hip disease that caused his left leg to be shorter than the right.

Driven To Success

The Hollywood News released the following official synopsis of the film:Born in New Zealand in 1937, Bruce McLaren’s determination to make it to the summit of global motor racing circles saw his name become synonymous with the sport; displaying an incomparable will to succeed and desire to better both himself and his burgeoning super brand. In following a singular dream, McLaren elicited the loyalty, determination and love of family, friends and colleagues to create a dynasty that lives on to this day. Revealing the challenges and adversities faced along the way, including a childhood illness which threatened to alter the path of his life, McLaren is the story of one man’s unfaltering commitment to his vision which will inspire generations of sporting fans.

The film follows Bruce’s life—narrated by those who knew him best: his family, his fellow team members, and his followers—as he became a dominant force in auto racing. From becoming the youngest driver to ever win a Grand Prix race to his revolutions in automobile design, the film is set to be a captivating story of an unstoppable force, even for those who are not racing enthusiasts. In the words of the man himself, “I feel that life is measured in achievement, not in years alone.”